To California We Go

On Saturday, I traveled with Simon to his family's house for Thanksgiving - it's his sister, brother-in-law, four nephews (all under 6), mother and grandmother. Definitely a lot livelier than what I'm used to with my two cats, but loads of fun!

I wanted to share with you what a delightful traveling companion I am:

• Lost ID: At 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday night, I looked for my driver's license. It was not in my purse. Frantic, I ripped apart my apartment looking for my ID or my passport. I couldn't find either one. Of course, my cats thought it was a game, so they followed me around meowing. Finally, I called Kohl's. I left my license in the store. Luckily, they were open until midnight so I drove there in my pajamas to pick it up.
• 3 a.m. Alarm: Our flight took off at 6:10 a.m. so we had to get up at 3 a.m. and leave by 4 a.m. Let me tell you, it's a bad sign when you're waking up while late night talk shows are still on air.
• Checked by the TSA: The TSA decided to spot check our flight as we boarded to make sure we weren't carrying weapons. I kept teasing Simon about how he was going to get checked because he's a little more ethnic looking than me. In fact, HE was even convinced he was going to get checked so he had his ID out and ready. No ... they picked me! I had to have my bags searched by some googly-eyed dude. I guess I looked shifty!
• In the Air: I kept following asleep on the flights. My head either jerked like a bobblehead or I woke up in a puddle of my own drool. I drooled all over myself and Simon. Good times!
• We Made It!: Simon's sister came and picked us up. I had a headache from all the travel - so I took two extra-strength Excedrin. On an empty stomach. This comes into play later. When we were coming down the escalator, these two little girls were waiting at the bottom, yelling "Daddy!" I asked Simon if he had something to tell me!
• Arrival at the Homestead: When we got to his sister's house, we said our hellos and it was off to a local park for the two oldest nephews' soccer award ceremony. At this point, my head was hurting and the Excedrin was not making my stomach happy. I took two Pepto to stop the queasiness.
• The Soccer Award Ceremony: There were about 20 boys under 8 getting their awards. They were running around, screaming. It was a picnic with tons of food that looked absolutely delicious. Sadly, I didn't get to eat a single bite of anything except some fruit. I was so queasy that the smell of the food was making me sick. (No Mom, I'm not pregnant! I promise.) After the kids got their trophies, Simon and I headed to a rock in the sun to warm up. (It was chilly.) I'm crouched down, trying to get some air. All of a sudden, I threw up all over the place. Poor Simon is sitting there next to me as I'm throwing up. All these kids are running around, screaming and playing on the swings. T T Thank goodness no one saw me! I buried everything with some mulch and went on with my day. Luckily, I felt much better after that.
• Posole!: Simon's mom and grandma made posole for dinner, which was absolutely delicious. It was broth and chicken and pork and hominy. You sprinkle oregano and chili powder on it, and add a squeezed lemon, chopped onions, lettuce and radishes - YUM! One of the most delicious meals I've ever eaten!

So that's what it's like to roll with me - lost IDs, drool, vomit. It's non-stop good times!